Second Impressions
by oneiromancer242
Summary: Flashforward : Visiting the Xavier Academy, Logan is surprised to find that the boy he met back in 1973 didn't grow up to be his old friend Pietro at all.
1. Chapter 1

1.

He couldn't believe it had been more than twenty years since they fixed the future. Time was a strange thing to him, having already lived so long, sometimes seeming to stretch to infinity and at others flying past. Vietnam seemed like yesterday, his father's death only last week, but that day in 1973 when they'd set the events in motion that would change the world seemed like another life altogether.

Logan hadn't forgotten the boy who helped them, though. Sometimes thought of him when he was working and considering how useful it would be to have Pietro around right now, realising that he'd erased a friend when he'd changed the past. Hadn't bothered keeping tabs on him – sometimes people showed up again, sometimes not, either way you learned to accept it. He'd recognised him immediately that day he walked back into the Academy, deep in conversation with a small girl with long blonde hair. Recognised the boy that is – not Pietro.

They looked a little alike – Peter had grown slightly taller, but he'd never developed those broad powerful shoulders or the swept-back wings of hair that Logan always thought he'd copied from him. Still slender as a reed despite a little more muscle on him, still those unmistakable dark eyes, but there was humour and good cheer alight in their depths that he never recalled seeing in his friend. The combat suit was gunmetal grey, not blue, and he had the lightning motif subtly worked in as two silver bolts across his chest rather than one white streak. Missing the jagged scar across one cheek that Pietro had borne and which pulled his smile into a sneer. Logan had never known how he'd got it, only that it had ruined what was otherwise a very handsome face.

Most of all, it was obvious how sane Peter was in comparison. Pietro had lived too long in isolation, had always been prone to black moods and rage which Logan had often accompanied him in drinking away. It was hard to get either of them drunk, but they managed. All those years without allies aside from his equally twisted sister had made him so harsh, so intolerant of others, so much always seeming on the verge of a major breakdown and unable to control his emotions or his too-fast thoughts enough to find any peace. Going days without sleep, taking anything he could find that would pick his mood up off the floor, more often than not drugged to a stupor when he wasn't working but still perfectly able to pick a fight with anybody.

He'd watched a while before going on his way, taking a walk with Xavier when he'd again caught sight of the man who was not his old friend, this time being met by two beautiful red-haired girls who had as one bowled into him and smothered him with affection. He scooped them up, swung them both in a circle, grinning broadly all the while before setting them down and bending to plant a tender kiss on each little forehead. Logan had been astonished – though Pietro was quite the alley-cat when he felt like it, showing love like that was absolutely alien to him.

"Good with the kids, huh?" he'd asked, indicated the man with a nod. Xavier had smiled in that amused way he'd never lost

"He is, but those are his. Twins, Ruth and Rachael, they attend the Academy"

"He had kids?!" that was unexpected. Of course Pietro might have had kids – he'd never stuck around long enough to find out though

"Just the girls. Married a fellow student after he enrolled. You seem surprised? Peter has always been a very loving person, did you think otherwise?"

He certainly had done. There were many words he could have used to describe Pietro – hyperactive, irritating, disloyal, sarcastic, arrogant – but loving had never been one of them. He wondered if this change had all been brought about by meeting him at seventeen, bringing him to the attention of the Academy instead of leaving him to find his own way in the world. Could that really have changed a person so much?

"Come and meet him – he's much calmer than you remember I'm sure" Xavier had called the man over, introduced them. Even from that broad friendly smile he'd seen that there was virtually nothing of the man he knew in him. "Peter, you remember Logan don't you?"

"Dude with cool claws like that? Not likely to forget him!" he'd laughed, shook Logan's hand kindly, left him speechless with his warmth and friendliness, "Whatever moisturiser you're using, it's working. You hardly aged a day"

"Looking pretty good yourself" he'd muttered. It was true, Peter had to be in his fifties but he still looked at least ten years younger than that, "You teach here now?"

"Peter set up our new gymnasium, and actually I believe he's considering retirement"

"Not just yet, Prof" he grinned, "Gotta make sure Flick knows what she's doing first. But yeah for now I teach, but like he said I'm planning to step down, spend a bit of time with my kids before they get too old to want to hang with their Dad. Anyway, good to see you again – I'm sure you've got things to do"

He had been about to dart off, when Logan had caught one arm in a vice-like grip and forced him to stay. Peter glanced at the hand that restrained him, wondered if he should struggle, didn't feel like breaking any bones today and stayed.

"Wanda," Logan demanded, "Your twin sister. Is she…?"

"She's fine, dude, I didn't know you knew her" Peter wriggled experimentally, couldn't get free, "Do you mind letting me go? You're kinda strong"

"When you say fine, you mean not crazy, not locked up? Not evil?"

"No! She lives in New York – go see her if you're so concerned, she's single!"

"Logan…" Charles said gently. The man realised he still had a grip on Peter's bicep, released him.

"Sorry kid" he muttered, "Just… I guess a lot changed"


	2. Chapter 2

2

Whilst some things changed, others it seemed would always be exactly the same. In whatever timeline, in whatever year, some of the students of the Xavier Academy were restless and up at all hours of the night. At least this time Logan had remembered that he needed to bring his own beers. He'd been deep in thought when a wind had blown through the kitchen at two in the morning, halted in front of one of the refrigerators, unsurprised when the light from the opened door had revealed the unscarred face of the boy who wasn't his old friend.

"Up early, aren't you?" Logan muttered. The boy didn't respond until he had zipped across to the table where he was sat, set a large double-chocolate gateaux down and took a seat.

"Woke up hungry," Peter told him, dug up a heaping spoonful of chocolate, "You?"

"Not such a great sleeper"

He watched the younger man for a moment, shovelling spoonfuls of cream and chocolate into his mouth as if his life depended on it – which in a way, Logan supposed, it did. Pietro had been the same around food, never passed up an opportunity to eat, crazy speedster metabolism meaning he needed it. He hadn't really had a sweet tooth though, Logan recalled, would have been far more likely to come grab a couple of footlong subs than a whole cake if he woke up needing a snack. It seemed to fit though. This boy was overall sweeter, softer, it made sense that he liked to fill up on dessert more than his spiky, snarky friend had.

"Why'd you ask about my sister earlier?"

Peter didn't take his eyes off his snack whilst he said it, continuing to work his way through. Only flicked his eyes up to Logan when there was no response. He shrugged

"Where I'm from… or was from.. or whatever the hell's the right way of sayin' that, Wanda's a loon who likes to level cities and turn people inside out"

Peter made a face, half amused and half grossed-out

"Well, she's nothing like that. She's a hero, people look up to her" he paused, shoved in another few spoonfuls, "I look up to her"

"Seems you're quite the hero yourself" Logan grunted. Peter smiled shyly.

"I help" he said simply. Licked the spoon clean and sat back a moment, eyed the last quarter of the gateaux and rubbed his belly contemplatively, "It's good to do something helpful. Maybe I'm a hero, I don't know. But I like it this way"

Logan raised an eyebrow, cracked open another beer, offered one to the other man who shook his head with a smile. That was different too – Pietro would never have turned down a drink. It was one of the ways he tried – and failed – to keep himself balanced.

"You're a permanent X-Man then?" he asked, took a swig of his beer. Peter only smiled again and picked up his spoon, continued his onslaught.

"Have been for a while now" he said, "Dude, I know we didn't get much chance to talk way back when, but why so curious about me? It's like you think you know me, but you don't"

"Hit the nail on the head, kid" Logan told him, a rough half-smile at that. Guy was smart, or at least perceptive. That was the same too.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I knew you. Another you. In my own timeline, you grew up pretty different"

Peter had finished the gateaux, was clearing the last smudges of cream with a finger, sitting back in his chair and adjusting the waistband of his pyjamas. Gave Logan a curious look.

"Was I evil too?" he asked, "Like the other Wanda?"

"Not evil, just…" he thought about it, smirked, "Just on whichever side was winning at the time. And nuts"

Peter grinned at that, relaxed back with his hands behind his head and stretched his spine out luxuriously.

"Plenty of people will tell you I'm still nuts" he remarked, "But definitely not a turncoat. I owe the Professor way too much to ever turn on him"

"That's good to hear, kid" Logan grunted. Sat in silence for a while until Peter had asked

"What was he like? The other me. Were you friends?"

"Much as he was friends with anyone," Logan smiled almost fondly, "He was a vicious, ruthless, cold-hearted lunatic. Damaged goods, dangerous, and not just to others. Never knew what made him crazy, just that he sure as hell was"

Peter looked thoughtful. Seemed to be mulling over the idea that in another time he'd turned out that way. Logan could see he didn't have it in his to be vicious, cruelty was alien to him. Wondered if it hurt to know that he could have been.

"I haven't always been like this, you know" he said quietly, "I mean, damaged goods is a pretty good description of me as a kid. Guess I just found the right people at the right time. I'm sure I could have turned out bad if I hadn't"

Logan didn't think that was true. Thought Peter could maybe had been sad, or mad, but never bad. Never as cold as Pietro had been. He had too big a heart for that to have ever really happened to him. Not long after, Peter's eyes had started to close of their own accord, and he'd taken himself back off to bed, contented and dozy. Logan sat until sunrise, drank a few more beers. Was grateful somehow that by some accident, this timeline he'd set in motion had led to a happy, settled man in place of the tormented one he had known. Smiled just slightly to himself, and for once didn't miss Pietro at all.


End file.
